No Rock And Roll Fun

LIKE THE HARD ROCK CAFE, ONLY WITHOUT THE BURGERS: The last time a Liverpool nightspot attempted to replicate beyond the city boundary, the Lomax-goes-to-Stoke adventure didn't have a happy ending. However, that hasn't put the Cavern Club off the idea of opening international branches. Since the Cavern Club in Liverpool is only a replica, we guess there's no reason why the international fakes won't be just as 'genuine' as the hometown fake, but it still seems a bit curious to us - how many people in Rio would want to go to a backstreet English bar when they could be doing Brazilian stuff? It's good news, though, for the Brazilians who were refused entry to the country because they failed a Mike Reid style pop-quiz about the band. Now they can either indulge their passion at home, or at least bone up on the facts before they set out again.

The little curious wrinkle to the International Cavern story, though, lies in the announcement of it this weekend. Sure, it gave the organisers of the Mathew Street Festival something to hang their press on, but hasn't this already been announced back in December last year?. And talking of announcements, what exactly happened to the Beatles themed hotel the same team said would be opening in 2003? I hope they've not held the launch party and not invited us.